ConVince
by swanpride
Summary: The music-box arc told from the perspective of Vincent Adler.
1. Chapter 1

_This chapter is a place holder...at one point I might replace it with a lengthly Prologue to Vincents Adler story, featuring Vincent's father, Wagner and the music box, but I think I will need a long time to figure this out and the hiatus of White Collar is now, so I'll post the main story now. And I have some other gimmicks to shorten the hiatus. _

_1. I have begun working on a rec list I intend to update every tuesday until the hiatus is over. You can find it at my LJ under: swanpride dot livejournal dot com_

_2. I have also written a couple of metas and posted it there, and I intend to add some more if people are interested. _

_3. Well, this isn't really my work, but Simone Lyon hosts the first White Collar fanfiction award. Today is the last chance to nominate stories. I hope there will be a lot of participation when the voting begins, to make it a success. You can find all the information about it here:.net/s/6786721/1/White_Collar_FanFiction_Awards_

_So, and now onto the story...updates will be irregular this time around, but since we basically know how the story of Vincent Adler ends, I think you will able to bear some waiting time inbetween the updates;-)_


	2. The first meeting

Vincent's father had believed in the superiority of the race. Vincent believed in the superiority of mind. And he believed in strategy. His father had wasted years searching for the music box without success. Vincent had decided on a more promising strategy. Leading an organization for the recovery of lost art allowed him to screen tons of artwork for the lost piece. He had founded Adler Financial Management only to have an easier time searching for the music box. Granted, the company would also guarantee him a big scope, but that was nothing compared to the loot in the sunken submarine. The finance fraud was just an added bonus, as were evenings like this one during which he had the opportunity to mingle with important people, showing off his power. With a polite smile, he greeted each one of his guests while assessing their value for him.

"Mr. Adler? Nick Halden. Nice to meet you. I brought this from my collection."

Vincent didn't bother to pay much attention to the young man before him. A bottle of '91 Bordeaux was an impressive gift – too impressive. $800 was a lot of money. People who wanted to impress that badly normally didn't have anything else to offer. "That's very generous," he said dismissively. "Thanks for coming."

But this upstart didn't give up so easily. Ignoring the fact that Vincent was already turning away from him he said, "Hey, nice play on the emerging markets last quarter. You really called Russia."

Such persistence at least warranted a second look. Vincent inspected the young man before him. "Well, it all came down to grains, didn't it?"

"Yeah."

So he wanted to pretend to be a finance expert? Well, let's see how much real knowledge was hidden behind the pretty face.

"Where do you think they're going?"

Only a small flicker in the eyes betrayed the uncertainly of the young upstart as he answered, "Bull market. For us, not Europe. I'd say their imports are up 20%."

Someone had done his homework, but to Adler it was obvious that the (most likely correct) assessment was not based on real knowledge and understanding of the market.

"Interesting. Enjoy the party."

This time, Vincent gave the young man no opportunity to interrupt his retreat.

* * *

"It's a powerful piece."

Vincent suppressed a sigh when he heard the voice. He wasn't terribly interested in Raphael's _Saint George and the Dragon_ (heroic scenes bored him), but he had no desire to get followed by this persistent young man for the whole evening either. In a slightly sarcastic tone he remarked, "Commodities and art? You've got diverse interests."

"Like you, art is my passion," was the prompt answer. This was the perfect opening Vincent had hoped for.

"Then you should talk to my assistant." He prompted Kate closer. His young assistant was lacking the proper education or work experience for her job, but she had other qualities to make up for that. Like the ability to sense opportunities and a nearly unfailing sense for the qualities of men. Her beauty was often useful, too. Like this time. The young man was obviously very taken by her. "Nick Halden," he introduced himself with a somewhat goofy smile. Satisfied, Vincent left. She would keep the young man busy for the evening.

* * *

Vincent was somewhat surprised when he found the young man sitting down beside him at his table. He had expected more from Kate. Scanning the room for his date, he found her far away at another table. It didn't need a genius to guess what had happened. It was time to show this whelp the limits.

"It seems my date has been relegated to the Buenos Aires table. You have until the salad course arrives to tell me what you want. Go."

"I want to work for you."

Well, the answer was expected. It was tempting to reject him immediately, but Vincent had to admit that he was somewhat curious what the upstart had to offer. "In what capacity, other than your enthusiasm for grains and paint?"

"Acquisitions."

Again, a prompt answer. Looked like they'd finally come to the crux of the matter.

"My team is full."

Not really true; Vincent could always use young attractive men with a convincing demeanor, but those were a dime a dozen in New York. He chose his employees, not the other way around.

"Cameron Singer ... You're about to buy his firm." The young man pointed at Singer's table.

Well, he would have to do better if he strove to impress him. "Speculation's been front page of the Journal all week. Pass the bread."

Ignoring Vincent's dismissive tone, he stirred his attention to another table. "Well, he's been avoiding that woman."

"Hannah Fields?" This was becoming interesting. Hannah Fields was one of his most dangerous competitors. Women who managed to reach high positions in the finance world were always very competent and very clever. They had to be to survive in a world mostly controlled by men.

"Next week, Hannah Fields will announce her new investment branch. She's buying out Singer. He's gonna back out of your deal, and the media will eat it up. Your company will appear unstable. That could spook investors."

That was an impressive piece of information. Someone who was able to dig something like that up might be useful after all. But Vincent was not the type of man who allowed others to read his thoughts. "I'm gonna continue my meal now with someone who looks better in a cocktail dress than you."

The young man took it with grace and good humor. "Well, look into Singer. If it turns out I'm right, call me."

He had to give it to … Nick … his departure was much more impressive than his entrance. Vincent's gaze wandered to his date, but it was Kate who he beckoned to his table.

"I expected you to keep the upstart away from me, not give him pointers to usurp my table."

There was only a slight shift in the eyes, but it told Vincent that he had guessed right. Kate's doll-like face was difficult to read, but her eyes sometimes betrayed her. And he knew if she had really tried to keep Nick away from him, she would have done so.

"I hope he didn't waste your time?" she asked, a little bit anxiously.

"We'll see. Tell me, was his interest in art genuine?"

"Oh yes!" Her face lit up. "He was really knowledgeable."

Vincent nodded thoughtfully. "I got a very special wine today, a bottle of '91 Bordeaux. Make sure that it'll be served for my dinner tomorrow. And correct the mess with the switched name cards, before my date concludes that I don't want to spend time with her."

Kate hurried away and Vincent made a mental note. After he got a full picture of Singer's dealings, he would order his men to make a thorough check on one Nick Halden.

* * *

_A/N: Well, not a lot of exitement yet, but I hope you appreciate the insight in my interpretation of Adler's character. mam711 again kindly offered to act as my Beta. _

_A word about my review policy: I try to answer every review, but sometimes, when I got a lot of them, I may miss out some of them. Don't feel compelled to review out of a sense of duty. Like every writer, I'm happy if you drop me a line, but you don't have to review every chapter to "pay" me or something like that. And I'm a sucker for concritic, so don't be afraid to tell me what you are thinking about my work, the good and the bad. _


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